Lucid Motors inaugurated its Innovation Hub in Phoenix on Wednesday — a site that was previously owned by the EV startup Nikola, which filed for bankrupcy earlier this year.
The two facilities in Arizona increased Lucid‘s footprint in the state by more than 884,000 square feet. They will support the company’s plants in Casa Grande, where production of the Gravity SUV is ramping up.
While the Phoenix facility will serve as a research and development center, the Coolidge manufacturing plant, will be “a pilot line where we build the first vehicles for our midsized platform.”
“It’s mainly engineers in this facility taking advantage of things that are already installed,” Winterhoff stated.
“There’s a machine shop in here. There are dynos in here. Nikola also had electric drive trains and hydrogen, and we obviously focus completely on electric drive trains, so all this is going to be really focused on research and development,” he added.
According to local media outlet Phoenix Business Journal, Lucid said it will use the factory for warehousing, pre-delivery inspections and developing its new mid-size electric SUV.
“But there will also be a pilot line where we build the first vehicles for our midsized platform that’s currently still in development,” the interim CEO said. “They will be built in Coolidge.”
Menwhile, the EV maker will use its new Coolidge facility for warehousing and pre-delivery inspections.
The chief executive said last month, during the company’s latest earnings call, that the mid-size platform “is scheduled for start of production in late 2026.”
It is expected to debut with a price tag of around $50,000, as Lucid aims to rival Tesla’s refreshed Model Y and Rivian’s upcoming R2 SUV.
Lucid‘s current lineup includes the Air sedan — priced from $69,900 in the U.S. — and the recently launched Gravity SUV — with prices starting at $94,900.
The EV maker opened customer orders for the modified Grand Touring version late last year.
Despite having delayed the SUV’s launch due to “supply chain bottlenecks”, Winterhoff stated at the same earnings call that Lucid remains on track to meet its full-year production target.
The brand expects to produce about 20,000 vehicles and to deliver between 40,000 and 46,000 vehicles in 2025.
Data from Motor Intelligence showed that Lucid Motors registered 975 vehicles in its domestic market in May, up from 820 in April.
On Wednesday, Lucid’s Managing Director in Europe Lawrence Hamilton said that the company expects to be present across the UK, France, Italy, and Spain “over the next 18 months.”
Lucid Motors sold 28 vehicles across its four markets in Europe, which include Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. The figures were seven units above the 21 sedans it sold a year ago.
Earlier this month, the EV maker signed a third agreement to “further strengthen” its supply of U.S.-sourced raw materials in upcoming models — just four months after signing its second graphite sourcing deal.
Winterhoff said the partnerships “are another example of [Lucid’s] commitment to powering American innovation and manufacturing with localized supply chains.”
